Crew deliver for proud dad
Ambulance flagged down in labour dash
A FAR Northern footy player pulled some fancy manoeuvres along one of Cairns’ busiest roads to flag down an ambulance to help bring his baby daughter into the world.
Northern Pride player Cephas Chinfat said things were getting “hectic” after he received a call from his heavily pregnant partner Megan Reilly at home at Bentley Park, who was going into labour, on the morning of November 15.
After racing home from footy training, he contacted their midwife, who advised the couple to get to Cairns Hospital as soon as possible.
“Things were getting pretty full-on in the back seat,” he said. “(Megan) was asking me whether we were at the hospital yet and I had to tell her we were only two minutes down the road from our driveway.”
After spotting an ambulance at the traffic lights under the Woree underpass, Mr Chinfat pulled over and waved down the crew, advance care paramedics Lachlan Roberts and Rebecca Wilson-O’Leary.
“I indicated at him, and (Mr Roberts) waved back at me, but kept driving,” Mr Chinfat said.
“Then I sped up in front of him, and showed him I was pulling over, and drove in front of him a little bit – nothing illegal.
“And finally he pulled over, and I was screaming out the window, that the missus was giving birth in the back seat.”
They were able to transfer Ms Reilly to another ambulance and continue the journey to hospital.
However Mr Roberts said Ms Reilly started crowning by the time they made it to Sheridan St, and baby Avanah was later delivered along Abbott St, around the corner of the hospital, in the back of the emergency vehicle.
It was the first delivery for Mr Roberts and the second for Ms Wilson-O’Leary.
Mr Roberts said at one point, it appeared they would be putting on a “bit of a show” for motorists, before they were able to get Ms Reilly into the ambulance.
“Luckily for us, it was a fairly uncomplicated birth,” he said.